Man Gets 10 Years for 1998 Machete Killing Case

BARTOW | Nearly 15 years after a grove worker discovered Aurelio Ramos' body in a shallow grave near Frostproof, Mario Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for killing him with a machete.

BY SUZIE SCHOTTELKOTTETHE LEDGER

BARTOW | Nearly 15 years after a grove worker discovered Aurelio Ramos' body in a shallow grave near Frostproof, Mario Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for killing him with a machete.

During the brief hearing, Garcia asked Circuit Judge Donald Jacobsen for a second chance so he can help his wife care for their six children.

“I'm not a bad person,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “My family is suffering, and I'm the only support they have.

Jacobsen could have sentenced him to 15 years. Lawyers for Garcia were seeking probation.

Garcia, 37, was charged with first-degree murder and robbery for killing Ramos, but in a plea agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded no contest in September to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Prosecutors agreed to drop the robbery charge.

Authorities said Garcia and Ramos had argued the night of Feb. 23, 1998, and it escalated into murder. Ramos' cousin told authorities Garcia was being loud and Ramos, 24, had told him to quiet down. Ramos walked away from the area, and Garcia left in a car about 15 minutes later.

Garcia returned to his house near Frostproof about 5 a.m. the next day, gathered some belongings and left, investigators said. Authorities searched the car they believed Garcia had been driving and discovered Ramos' blood on a napkin and on a receipt.

Garcia's wife testified during Monday's sentencing hearing she didn't see him for about two years after that, and she didn't know where he had gone.

He was arrested in April 2011 after he became a suspect in a hit-and-run accident. Police ran his fingerprints and discovered he was wanted in connection with the murder case. He had been using an alias to conceal his identity.

In sentencing Garcia today, Jacobsen noted the brutality of the murder.

“We are here for a significant crime, one that the person was literally hacked to death by a machete,” he said.

An autopsy concluded there were more than 30 wounds to Ramos' body. Authorities also discovered his wallet was missing.

Jacobsen said Garcia is believed to be in this country illegally and will face deportation upon his release from prison.

[ Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com or 863-533-9070. ]

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